hell's mouth [ epic ]

[neko bo beko]

Apparently, on the skirts of Hi country, there's a deadened area with a lone home sitting abandoned. Strangely, despite the vacancy, activity can be heard from it - screaming, clashing, what sounds like a roaring flame... but upon investigating the home, nobody has been able to come up with an answer. It seems like a normal, rotting home. But when investigators leave, the activity flares back up. It's an anomaly nobody has yet to be able to understand. 

The home itself isn't hard to find; ask anyone in the area, and they can give you clear instructions to the abode. It's not the location of the place that's a wonder, but instead simply just... why is it so noisy? Why is there always a racket coming from there, but never any evidence to people having been there when it took place? What was inside that people can't seem to uncover?

Before any real fun or further investigating can begin, one would first have to head towards the East of Hi no Kuni, towards the general direction of the Capaneus Sea. There, where villages turn to small towns and cities turn to cul de sacs, you can find the edge of the woods the anomaly nestled in. On the edge of the sea and just outside of the other side of the woods, the small cabin is tucked neatly under the sun. It lies in not so silent wait.

Ancestor Febrie (+guest)

[Ancestor Febrie]

The duchess only grew more restless as her twin daughters Willbell and Linca have not returned to Mo for some time. While looking for her oldest daughter Esty, Suzume has sent her a letter about the twins. According to their previous master Ishin both girls went to research something supernatural in Hi no Kuni, as to what nobody in Mo knew. Suzume and their master have already led search parties but have still turned up nothing. Hopefully she or Suzume would have more information.

Esty's search can wait for now, her eldest daughter can take care of herself without any problem while the twins were very much weaker, it was her duty to search for them. She cursed under her breath, if only the twins took one of her cards with the markings this search would have been unnecessary. In any case the duchess has called for Zuruel, the assassin to help her out. The only thing she told him though was to pack for a little journey, nothing fancy.

She herself wore a bit more gear this time too, one never knows what things they will need for a search such as this. Since it was already early summer in Hi no Kuni, she only wore her new fire resistant dark blue kimono with golden laces where she hid a sum of fifty thousand ryo and five senbon with hiraishin markings wrapped around them just in case the rest of the equipment got lost along the way. As footwear, the duchess opted to just wear the also new sandals that were also fire resistant.

That was not all she had with her, she did pack for a little journey after all. Just over her kimono the woman wore a black tactical vest which did not make her kimono stand out much. The vest was however her main small equipment holder which housed ten of her master-crafted kunai with a hiraishin mark on them, a deck of playing cards containing fifty five cards with the same markings as those kunai, a lightning gem and a compass together with a map.

What kind of a nobility would the duchess be if she did not wear any jewelry? She possessed a golden amulet with an all seeing eye stone nicely set in the middle which wore around her neck. To cover up almost all of the entirety of the vest from behind she had a white haori with a hood enhanced against fire. Inside its pockets were three master-crafted kunai with those markings combined with force tags, a gem of prescience and a troll stone for easier reach should she need them fast.

As for protection she had the greaves to protect her leg and a pair of gauntlets for her hands, all were also master-crafted with her right gauntlet being enhanced with shock component. The duchess ran quickly along the main road towards the east side of the lands since Suzume was combing the west side already while the north and south were left to regular palace guards. Finally she spotted her first village on the horizon and where they were supposed to meet with Zuruel.

When the woman arrived, the village was much smaller than imagined from the distance. Before starting her search, it was wise to wait for the assassin inside an inn and while also at it, she could gather up some information. The duchess entered an inn called "The Brisket" which did not look so shabby from the outside. She ordered some milk at the bar and got herself seated. Why did she order a glass of milk? She did this on purpose hoping that someone noticed her, someone that had information.

[Skulking Shinzu]

[-1 Hiraishin Charge used to travel to Land of Fire]

“Well, well, well.” Zuruel and Lady both appeared next to the Duchess from a crowded table upon spotting her ordering a glass of milk. Little could escape Lady’s sense of hearing and even less could creep past Zuruel’s Bard senses. “You called?” He snickered to himself as Lady ‘spoke’. “What he means is – we came as soon as we heard of your summons. We figured you’d want to meet at the inn.” As always, Lady spoke directly into Zuruel and the Duchess’s mind with the aid of her telepathy. Her usual form was that of a large black wolf with bulky muscles and glowing orange iris. The only equipment on her position appeared to be a pouch on her side near her hind legs which held several grenades and three Hiraishin-marked Kunai. Zuruel, on the other hand, was dressed from head to neck in black fire-resistant clothing, gloves and shoes. The only exception to this black motif was a fire resistant dark grey cloak that stretched all the way from his shoulders to his knees.

Thanks to the two deep pockets rituals, this cloak held an assortment of weaponry ranging from multiple Hiraishin-marked Kunai and explosive tags to a range of different grenades. Far more than what it should naturally be able to carry. As for the pouch by his hip, this held several herbs, poisons and supplements such as Life Water. As for weaponry, there were four katana strapped onto the Kedoin’s waist – two on either side. On the left, Tessaiga and Spirited Away, on the right, two standard katana. Each weapon bore a Hiraishin seal hidden under the wrapping around the hilt. As per standard, all of Zuruel’s normal disposable katana also hid ten explosive tags under the cloth of each hilt completely out of sight.

As for Zuruel himself, he was quite the strange being. As always, his keen sense of smell and 50m radius of enhanced hearing was alerting him to everything going on in the area. His organs – unlike most, was arranged in a strange order. His heart, for example, was near his left hip. He also possessed a second brain that functioned in his right thigh. Inside his chest and arms, his body also hid an assortment of gems that he kept fused to his body through his mastery of flesh manipulation abilities. It would be difficult to spot under all the layers of clothing, but Zuruel’s skin was marked with several seals. Most notably of which, several weapon seals along his wrist which suggested he was more heavily armed that what appearance would first dictate. As for the more obvious – everyone in the area would immediately spot his pale white flesh, red eyes and wild swept back hair that transitioned from a strange blue colour near the front to a tint of red at the back.

Zuruel

SPOILER: Click to show

[x5] Jigoku no Mimi (Hells ears) - 50m
Rank: "D"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: With this technique the Bard is capable of pinpointing the location of a noise within a small area.
Special: ---
Drawback: Cannot be used to hear techniques that silent the user's movement. Must be trained multiple times.
Description: Bards are around sounds constantly and all their training in the musical arts hones their hearing. They are capable of further training their ability to hear to allow them to listen and precisely pinpoint the location a sound is coming from as long as it is within ten meters of themselves. They can continue to train their ability to pinpoint the location of a sound to increase the distance it can be pinpointed from by ten meters each time, capping off at fifty meters.
Limit: Art of the Bard

neko bo beko

[neko bo beko]

//ooc: sorry for the delay, i have a really bad fever and had to go to the hospital//

It wasn't hard to tell that the strange pair were foreign to this side of Hi no Kuni, especially this stranded village and its Inn for passersby. The crowd isn't a hefty one, but a considerably familiar lot, so the two stuck out like sore thumbs to the barkeep. Especially the milkdrinker - who orders dairy in what could easily be mistaken for a pub? A majority of the crowd was intoxicated. 

The burly bartender looks pointedly over the counter at both the duchess and Zurueal, and his strangely well behaved, intimidating wolf. Actually, he eyes the beast more than he does the humans. His voice is a few octaves lower than everyone else's. "You're not from around here," he says collectively to the bunch. He sets the glass he'd been wiping upside down on the counter, the rag settling beside it, so he can place his large hands on the counter top and lean forward only slightly. "You're not here about the mouth, are ya?" The two had come to the right Inn; this man seemed to know a bit more about the strange happenings better than anyone else. Perhaps it stemmed from his own first-hand encounter with the phenomenon, or his nosy bartender nature. Either way, his eyebrows twitched with concern. "Nobody comes back from the mouth, you'd be better off turning and going to where you've come from. There ain't nothing there for you two."

[Ancestor Febrie]

The duchess was in the middle of her sip when both Zuruel and Lady appeared out of thin air besides her. Right on time as everyone was noticing her already, no doubt these two would also be noticed as they were with her. She nodded to the both of them, "Yes, I do need your help finding my twins. I think you have already met them?" she looked at Zuruel and gestured for them to sit at her table. "For some reason both girls have not returned from their assignment. Suzume and the others are searching up north, west and south for them. East side of the country will fall to us." she tried to briefly explain.

"I do not really know much about their assignment or in which direction they went so we are kind of blind here." the woman carefully took something out of her pockets, it was a photo of the girls. "This is how they look." the pictures [Linca,Willbell] were then passed to Lady who has never seen them. "Willbell and Linca are not very powerful combatants. They are only able to defend against the mid level creatures" she commented on their prowes, both of they only had basic knowledge of fighting. She tried to talk in a calm manner but one would say she was slightly worried.

By this time everyone was already focused on the group enough to try and approach them. The first one was the bartender, the right person for information. Many customers passed through inns and the likes so the bartenders usually hear many stuff from people. His voice was low as he talked, perhaps the man did not want anyone hearing them? The duchess looked at her partners before replying truthfully "No, we are not from any place nearby my good bartender."

They were pretty lucky on their first try, for what it was worth the bartender asked if they were here for the mouth. This was the first time the duchess has hear of this, it sounds like some kind of place people do not return from according to the man. "You have peeked my interest." she announced as her hands swiftly grabbed 2,000 coins of ryo and placed them on the counter where the man has been leaning on, it was a thanks for information he was going to give them. "Please continue."

OOC: It's alright Neko, irl is more important. Just get well soon. Besides, had a pretty busy week myself.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Despite the stench of alcohol being ripe in the air around each and every drunkard, the civilians still seemed to possess enough awareness to note that Zuruel, the Duchess and Lady were not locals. Their idle stares and passing glances seemed to reveal as much whilst making the Kedoin highly uncomfortable. As always, he despised being the centre of attention. Especially in such a cramped building such as this. “Would three strange individuals such as ourselves be here for anything other than the so-called mouth?” Zuruel snickered as the bartender leaned forwards. Lady, however, took a step back. She seemed intimidated by the burly man’s stares. Purely to avoid eye contact with the bartender, she focused her attention on the picture of Willbell and Linca.

“Twins? How lovely!” She wagged her tail gracefully along the air at the sight of the photo. However, the Duchess’s tone seemed to change at the mention of neither being powerful combatants. “I’ve met one of them. The either shouldn’t be difficult to find if they are twins.” Zuruel stroked his chin. A strange portal that swallowed people only for them to never be seen again and missing twins. The connection here was clear. “Apologies barkeep – but it appears this is our only lead.” Flamboyantly, the Kedoin smiled and gave the man a polite bow as the Duchess offered him a bag of Ryo. Zuruel’s Bard-tendencies were beginning to show.

“If it is our safety you are concerned about, then worry not~ The Duchess and I are difficult individuals to trap. You could think of us as dimensional escape artists.” At the end of the sentence, Zuruel tapped the bottom of the table with his index finger. With a flare of Chakra, a small seal inscribed itself into the wood. Marked with a Hiraishin seal, Zuruel would be able to bring the others back to this bar at any point if need be. “And of course, we cannot just leave two of our own citizens stranded in… Who knows what. Information here could be vital to their survival. What can you tell us?” As always, Zuruel's heightened senses were active. Even whilst taking in the bartender's words, his heightened sense of hearing was analyzing all the sounds and whispers in the 50m radius around him, whilst his keen sense of smell analysed the unique scents and odours within a 10m radius of him.

Zuruel

SPOILER: Click to show

[x5] Jigoku no Mimi (Hells ears)
Rank: "D"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: With this technique the Bard is capable of pinpointing the location of a noise within a small area.
Special: ---
Drawback: Cannot be used to hear techniques that silent the user's movement. Must be trained multiple times.
Description: Bards are around sounds constantly and all their training in the musical arts hones their hearing. They are capable of further training their ability to hear to allow them to listen and precisely pinpoint the location a sound is coming from as long as it is within ten meters of themselves. They can continue to train their ability to pinpoint the location of a sound to increase the distance it can be pinpointed from by ten meters each time, capping off at fifty meters.
Limit: Art of the Bard

Scent
Rank: "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: This extraordinary special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The creature can detect opponents within 10-meters by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 20-meters; if downwind, it drops to 5-meters. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at x2 the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk, can be detected at x3 normal range. When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a movement to note the direction of the scent. Whenever the creature comes within 2-meters of the source, the creature pinpoints the source’s location. When finding Herbs and Animals (random), Scent may improve searching for them (must have Scent of object previously before searching). Learning "D" Rank allows the user to search for Common things, while "S" for Nearly Impossible. Each rank user learns increases chance of finding by 2% for the Rank of Herb, and increases per Rank thereafter. Example: At "S" Rank User gains 10% increase chance in finding Common Herbs and Animals but only 2% Increase for Nearly Impossible Herbs and Animals.
Limit: Must be an Animal, Fey, Monster, or Vermin. Innate Animal Jutsu.

OOC: No worries, get well soon!

[neko bo beko]

//ooc: thanks guys!! much better now

The bartender wasn't surprised that they weren't from around here, nor was he surprised that they were there for the mouth. He gave a full body grimace at their readiness to hear all about the phenomenon, and he almost felt inclined to deny them the information. Almost.

As nonchalantly as he can, the bartender slides the healthy bribe off the counter and tucks it away for himself. "Aye," he croaks. "They say it's the mouth to Hell that lie there. You know where the house is, don't you? Ain't far from where we are now, no more than a little over a hundred yards north of here. Travel a few days past, you'd get to Port City. Too far by then. It's this cabin, abandoned and all run down. It's small. But there's a basement." He pauses, hesitating. He tilts his head, eyes darting between the two individuals. He avoids looking at the beast, despite how it seemed to be just as equally cautious. "Nobody's come back from the basement."

The conversations around them aren't particular, the foremost uttered topic being about the strangeness of the newcomers. Why do they hold themselves the way they do? And what could they possibly want to know from the bartender? Some people utter stories about the mouth, a select few knowing exactly why the group is here. What else for, after all? Some claim that they've seen the inside of the home itself, though half of them could be weeded out as dirty liars.

[Ancestor Febrie]

She knew Lady would perhaps catch her worry about those two but she has not asked for more details which she appreciated. The assassin was always curious, he let the bartender take her bribe. Was she maybe imagining it or what? There was some kind of thinking from the bartender before he snatches all the money off the counter. She smiled when he did so, now let's see what the man will tell them.

The duchess did not think the mouth to hell was something so serious, rumors were usually exaggerated yet still contained some form of truth. Just that nobody ever came back from that place indicated that exaggeration. At least if someone managed to escape from it, they would talk openly about it and we would have more information than right now. "I see, the Port City isn't that far off from this village." she nodded and opened her map.

All they had to do was to find some sort of a house, with a basement. Zuruel has already boasted to the man about their escape artist skills earlier yet the man still warned them again? She did not want to go in blind, more information would have to be gathered but where? Did the rabble in this inn know something? Or would it be better to gather the information at the Port City? If the girls were really there, they should hurry it up.

"Thank you for your information bartender." she then finished her glass of milk. "What do you think?" the woman turned towards Lady and her assassin. "In my opinion, we need to prepare more. We can either stay here and gather more information or we could try our luck at the Port City." more than one mind was usually better, then if they made a bad decision, nobody would be blamed.

[Skulking Shinzu]

“People. Always lusting after money.” Zuruel couldn’t help but conjure the words in his mind as he observed the bartender accepting the bribe. Naturally, Lady made use of her telepathy and picked up on this thought. However, these were one of those rare moments where she couldn’t judge her companion for being a hypocrite. Although Zuruel knew the necessity of money, he rarely spent his riches. His apartment in Mo was modest at best and aside from combat-related gear and clothing, he owned little outside of a bed and vault to keep his weaponry and puppets stashed away safely.

“Abandoned cabin suggests it used to be occupied at some point in time. Do you have any information on the previous residents?” Zuruel and Lady then glanced at each other at the mention of the basement. The warning sounded ominous enough. However, for once their destination seemed rather straight forward. Naturally, Zuruel couldn’t help but frown at this fact. His adventures, after all, were usually anything but straight forward. If this was the simple part, then the dangers and complexities were all likely to reveal themselves the moment the group entered the so-called hell.

“I’ll leave the directions to you Duchess.” Zuruel rather enjoyed navigating between countries. After all, it was difficult to get lost when your destination was such a large body of land. Cities and towns, however, required more planning and finesse than the Kedoin was willing to afford. “Hmm.” Zuruel and Lady both pondered as the Duchess turned to speak. Was there even more to find out? Anyone that did have any useful information was likely one of those individuals that had never managed to return from the basement. Still, there was a chance someone may have seen more than they cared to admit.

“Well my dear barkeep, could I trouble you for two more questions?” Zuruel ensured he led the conversation in a subtle way using his Bard prowess. Immediately, the barkeeper would find himself riddled with guilt and a desire to be truthful to the seemingly kind-hearted Kedoin. “Is there anything else about the cabin or basement you have not told us and is there anyone in this village with more information that we can speak to?” Hopefully the man would reveal more. However, if not, Zuruel saw little sense in staying here and would recommend that the group headed towards the port.

Zuruel

SPOILER: Click to show

Active:

What You Wanted to Say
Rank: B
Skill: Ninjutsu, Vocal
Effect: Causes a person to speak the truth
Special: Singing
Drawback: Single target. May sense the skill.
Description: A Mind Affecting technique. By using their skill with words the Bard will lead a conversation with his subtle influence. The bard may affect one person within a ten meter radius and trick them into answering a number of questions truthfully. The amount of questions that will be answered truthfully depends on the rank of the bard, it being one question per rank. There is a five percent chance the target will realize something strange is happening per question asked. So five for the first question, ten for the second, ect.
Limit: Art of the Bard. 'Singing'.

5% failure chance for first question, 10% failure chance for second question (assuming the barkeeper is hiding anything).

Passive:

Scent - 10m Enhanced Smell.
Hells Ears - 50m Enhanced Hearing.

[neko bo beko]

The female seemed content with the information the barkeep had presented, though the strange boy did not seem so inclined to believe it was all he had to utter, and perhaps rightfully so. The bartender swallows thickly, shaking his head a bit when first asked about who the previous tenants could have been. Alas, that he did not know - after all, it had seemed to erect abandoned, if it had at all been built by someone in the first place. It'd been there for as long as he could remember, though the rumors that circled it weren't quite as old.

The gruff bartender can't help but listen to the snippet of conversation the two humans exchange, turning his eyes easily back to the one with gradient hair when prompted. Immediately, the large man feels a weakness in his gut he can't ignore. He heaves a sigh. "Aye," he starts, seemingly hesitant at first. He drags in a breath to steady himself. "I been in the house, though I don't like to talk about it so much. I lost my son to the basement. I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I didn't see no mouth. I saw a hole in the cement ground, and I saw someone reach out and drag him down. Maybe a few people, I couldn't tell. Truth be told, I ran. I regret it. I miss my boy." The bartender seems to be pained by the memories. He gives another defeated shake of his head, his eyes turning up to look anywhere but at the two. "Nobody I talk to about it knows what the inside of the house looks like, like I do. Despite them claiming to have been in there. So I don't know if there's someone around you can talk to about it; far as I can tell, I'm the only one who's come back from the house." His jaw clinches as he turns looks back to them again. "Apparently," he finishes.

The bartender wasn't a liar. He'd indeed been inside the home with his son, and he'd indeed watched as his child was seemingly sucked down into a world beneath the house. But he wasn't sure if he believed the rumors about it being Hell, and he wasn't sure if these two took that pile of rubbish either. "It ain't Hell under there," he says, turning to the dirtied dishes and plucking up his rag. He starts mindlessly wiping at the inside of one of the cups, just about done with all this interrogating. "It's people. They set up shop down there, though to do what I can't be sure. Haven't been back since..." He trails off, grinding his teeth hard and continuing his hasty cleaning of the glass cup he stares down at through a blanket of tears that brim his eyes.

[Ancestor Febrie]

While being content with the answer that bartender gave her, she still wanted to plot a course for that Port City as soon as possible. Luckily Zuruel was here and still tried pondering more on that topic. She knew now exactly how they will navigate through the roads so they can cut some time, there were a few shortcuts they could take through the wilderness since being somewhat equal to ninja the group would not be so hindered by just some terrain.

"Alright, are we ready?" obviously when she was plotting, the bartender kept listening to them. In the end the man came forward with the whole story. The duchess had no idea that Zuruel tried to change the odds a bit yet the new information was very useful. Poor guy had lost a son, he was still here bar tending? "Have you reported this to the authorities?" she asked as that would be her first step. Perhaps the man was moved by her own dilemma with the twins.

Still in the end, there was no mouth, no hell and no monsters. The bartender did see someone pulling his son down, which indicated the area was infested with some bandits perhaps. "Hmm, I can't gauge their strength yet. We should get some more information at the Port City I think. Or at least see if the authorities know something about it?" usually a bandit gang would have skirmished with the peace keepers.

"Alright! We will bring your son back, just wait patiently." as the mans tears flowed, she could not stand it, tried to cheer the man. If they were going in there, they could save his son as well. "So, I am ready to go." with a flicker of light, the woman has made one strange symbol appear bellow the table. It was the same mark Zuruel made just a few moments ago. She then paid for her glass of milk so the group could leave.

Outside she said to Zuruel and Lady "Did you believe him? I sure did." there was really nothing suspicious with that man. "Now if we go this way, we will find a forest which cuts our travel time." she showed them the map "After we clear it, we will be connecting to this main road. From there we will have no problem arriving to the Port City." tracing their future trip.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Zuruel carefully analysed the barkeeper’s words. A hole opening up in the ground sounded like the work of a portal. With beings that commanded such power involved in the mix, he could hardly judge the bartender for abandoning his son. Still, despite the slight sensation of sympathy, he had no real will or urge to offer the man any real words of encouragement. Especially not when his son could be long since dead by now. Speaking of which… “How long ago did you lose your son and what does he look like? I will search for him while there… If possible.” The Kedoin struggled with balancing his realism with his desire to help. Naturally, his words were met with a glare from Lady that seemed to scream at the lack of tact or grace in the offer.

“You think this is the work of people? If it was that mundane, why hasn’t an angry mob flooded the house yet?” Zuruel knew what humans were like with the supernatural. This wasn’t like stories where a group would flee in terror from the mere sight of a monster or supernatural phenomena. Rather, in most cases, they’d simply gather more numbers and strike down the cause of fear with pitchforks and flames. Destruction was often the first thought of the fearful. “Regardless, we will assist where possible. Before leaving… You mentioned you know the layout of the house quite well. Are there any traps or anything dangerous we should be aware of while making a beeline to the basement?”

Once the conversation naturally ended, Zuruel focused his attention on the Duchess. “Ready as always.” He snickered while exiting the building with Lady. “I believe the man too… Then again, I am more well-versed with lying than detecting lies from others.” Zuruel then took note of the Duchess’s directions while following her with his Moon Dog companion. Hopefully, a uneventful road to the port town would follow.

[Spectre of the Falls(Kuroki)]

The sad bartender simply shook his head in the negative to most of Zuruel's questions. It was obvious that pain and guilt racked the man and he was unwilling or unable to speak more on the subject. He had the beginnings of tears in his eyes so he called over a server lady to take over for a bit as he went into the back room to compose himself. He was emotionally done in after the conversation with the strangers of Mo.

The trip through the the woods however was relatively uneventful. They would soon find themselves on the edge of the bustling port city. The sea breeze and chatter of merchants could be heard even from a ways away. If they were going to the local authorities this would be the place. But with how busy such a place was year round finding someone helpful may be a challenge.

[Ancestor Febrie]

Zuruel was really good at asking the right questions, however in the end those bore no fruit as the bartender was simply too emotional and wrecked to give them any concrete answers. He simply shook his head negatively at them all, the poor man seemed like he would burst out crying for months on end. Too bad the questions were not answered since even she wanted to know if there was a layout of that place.

Though one thing Zuruel was right about, if they were people why not just band together with the rest of the villagers to banish whoever took his son? She already thought about bandits or such a group but there could be more, something more sinister perhaps? In any case they will find out fast when you arrive. It was a good thing they did not meet anything dangerous on the shortcut. The environment around them was stable giving them a good time.

When the group finally joined up in the main road, she slowed down a bit. There were many merchants going about, she was hoping to hear some more rumors. Alas in the end the group entered the city through an arch of a gate, the Port City sure was a busy place. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if they tried to find someone useful. "So, we find an inn to set up shop, yea?" they needed a base of operations before even considering going into that wretched place.

"Then next we should probably split around to try and find some information? I will go to the police station." as they walked the streets, she was looking for some inn. It did not take too long to find one since she intentionally walked them at the town center, those places were usually crowded with some better quality inns. She went in, it was just a classical inn with some good food and a place to stay.

"I will have one room please." she said to the innkeeper, Zuruel and Lady will have to order their own rooms because the duchess was not sure if they required two rooms or one. "I think we can meet here at the evening meal? Is that enough time?" she checked the menu to make sure when that was. "18:00, plenty of time I think." they still had about four hours before that. She then said byes to both of them and left for her room.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Zuruel shrugged at the bartender. For a man that required assistance, his lack of replies yielded the group with little guidance. Having no description of the man’s son was especially troublesome. Suspicious even. Still, having memorised the bartender’s facial structure, it hopefully wouldn’t be too difficult spotting his son. Assuming the boy was still alive or even existed in the first place. “Sure – I could use some alcohol.” Zuruel snickered at the suggestion to head to another inn the moment the group reached the port. Having become something of a self-proclaimed connoisseur of beverages, the Kedoin was eager to try out the port’s local varieties.

“One room too please.” The room was more for Lady than Zuruel. Having long since discarded the need for sleep, the Kedoin was going to be wide-awake at sun down anyway. “Very well – you handle the station and I will scout around the inn before moving out to the surrounding area.” After the Duchess left, Zuruel ordered himself a beverage to better blend in with the locals before moving from table to table. He knew the topic of the mysterious abandoned house was a popular one. Using his enhanced sense of hearing that could pick up on even a whisper within 50m, Zuruel hoped to find some more information.

SPOILER: Click to show

Passive:

Scent - 10m Enhanced Smell.
Hells Ears - 50m Enhanced Hearing.

[Spectre of the Falls(Kuroki)]

This innkeeper was just a man looking for business and didn't ask many questions nor answered many either. With a gruff response he asked for 200 ryo for the night of a pair of rooms with a large enough bed to house both Zuruel and Duchess. Then he asked for an additional 100 ryo from Zuruel as a pet fee. As they wondered off Zuruel got his drink from a fetching young lady that acted as the bar made. She gave Zuruel a flirtatious eye but otherwise went about her business. The only thing Zuruel would really overhear was several rumors about the abandoned hell mouth shack. Everything from demons to shadow creatures are supposedly come out to steal those who are deemed worthy.

And worthy was a misnomer it would seem. Because it would seem from the tones no one wanted to be chosen. The curse of shinobi magic seemed to be a requirement but even those without sometimes disappear near there. No one spoke with the authority of fact just superstition and fear. Zuruel could smell the fear off the patrons and just about anyone else. Whatever that place was it being so close to town had people afraid. Supposedly whole caravans disappeared. No one directly knew someone who disappeared. Everything started that they heard from a friend of a friend and so forth. The duchess would find her room of decent quality but otherwise not remarkable.

[Skulking Shinzu]

“P-Pet fee!?” Lady seemed distraught at the mere mention of the word pet. Zuruel, of course, simply snickered at the accidental insult that had been hurled at Lady and paid the required fees. He then focused on the woman that appeared to be eyeing him. Did she want to spar? Her frail body didn’t appear to be that of a fighter’s. It made him wonder why she’d bother with the lingering stare. Especially after fleeing so quickly. Shrugging, he focused on the voices around him. Demons and shadow creatures. The lack of a consensus made it clear that all this was just hearsay. Still, something appeared to be powerful enough to strike this much fear into the hearts of all these men.

“This is starting to sound exciting…” Zuruel snickered to himself while Lady glanced with a concerned expression. Being able to read her companion’s thoughts, she knew exactly what was going on in his twisted mind. “Barkeep. When the Duchess returns from her room, hand her this.” He smiled as he passed on a note and a few Ryo coins for the trouble. Inside, the note simply mentioned how the Kedoin was going on ahead to investigate the cursed cabin because he was too excited to wait. Oozing with enthusiasm, he exited the bar and dashed towards the direction of the cabin with Lady. It was clear no one would be able to offer any useful knowledge around the cabin. Anyone that could had probably already been claimed by it. With that in mind, it was probably best to just investigate it in person.

[Starnaess]

Name: Limbo
Rank: S
IIC Length: 2 IIC days
Difficulty: Hard
Objective: Solve the cabin's mistery
Description: Rumors about a strange  cabin started to spread throughout the city and the farms around it. Nobody knew exactly what was wrong with it - only that at certain intervals of the night you could hear screams from within. A few guards were sent to investigate but they never came back.

Reward: 280,000 Ryo per person - additional rewards in equipment equal to 1/4 of Mission Reward if high enough of a performance.

The man at the inn begun to ask for help to every single person that  entered, however everysingle one of them rejected his offer for they were not crazy nor daring enough to risk their lives even for the big sum of money offered by the desperate man. He asked one simple thing, rescue his daughter that seemed to have been gone missing after disobeying his father's orders not to play around the infested cabin.

[Skulking Shinzu]

“Ah… Forgot something.” Zuruel shrugged and dashed back to the bar where he met with the barkeeper. Upon picking up the Kunai he had dropped, he took in the man's words and accepted his mission before once again, exiting the bar, regrouping with Lady and dashing towards the direction of the cabin.

[Starnaess]

It wouldnt take long before the ninja and his trusted companion reached the cabin. A quick glance would instantly allow the man to notice that , b eside the bland look it had , the cabin was in perfect shape - almost as if it had been built recently - However, everyone that lived there knew that the cabin had been in that same exact spot for decades - was someone perhaps taking care of it? The size of said cabin werent impressive either, and one familiar with houses could perhaps descern that it could fit at best two rooms and perhaps a basement. A single door in front of it, and a single window on the right side (left side if looking directly at the door). If one tried to peek inside, the dusty window wouldnt allow for much of a visual - if one were to take his time and try to clean it up a single wooden table could be seen in the middle of the room with two chairs.